Photo: TheLionHasSeen · CC BY-SA 4.0Lafayette spent more per resident in 2022 than 94% of similar cities
Lafayette’s city government spent $351.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to October 31, 2024, about $2,897 per resident. Water and other utilities ($215.9 million) and the airport ($8.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lafayette is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,474 per resident in 2022: more than 94% of them
Lafayette’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,474 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 137 Louisiana cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $859, and the middle half spent $339–$1,254. Lafayette spent more than 94% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($35.8 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Louisiana cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Lafayette itself left out).
About $2,897 per resident a year, or $7.94 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lafayette reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $2,474 · 2023: $2,711 · 2024: $2,897.
full-time in March 2025, up from 3,026 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,482 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.58% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Lafayette’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Lafayette’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lafayette →
Who’s in charge in Lafayette
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Lafayette’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on lafayettetravel.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 39 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (121,389).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Lafayette Parish School District
Lafayette’s K–12 school district, shared with Carencro, Scott, Youngsville, Broussard, Duson. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,043 per pupil, $8,246 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Louisiana districts overall: 47% local, 34% state, 19% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Lafayette sends 6 representatives to the Louisiana House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: lafayettetravel.com ↗
- 2Louisiana HouseLafayette is split between 6 districts
- 3Louisiana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Louisiana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Lafayette compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Louisiana cities that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Lafayette’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lafayette’s government
How much does Lafayette spend per resident?
About $2,897 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to October 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,474 was more than 94% of 137 Louisiana cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lafayette?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,482 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.58% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see lafayettetravel.com.
Who runs Lafayette’s government?
See lafayettetravel.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lafayette yet.
How many people work for Lafayette?
3,112 full-time and 272 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $16.7M (about $199.9M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Lafayette in the state legislature?
Lafayette is split among 6 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Louisiana Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lafayette’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →